This was a tough offseason in Carolina. Left tackle Jordan Gross retired, quarterback Cam Newton underwent ankle surgery and defensive end Greg Hardy was implicated in an assault case. How's that for introducing uncertainty into three of the most important positions on an NFL roster?

"The biggest issue is franchising Hardy and giving him a $1.3 million advance now that he could miss half the year, at least," said the GM, who gave the Panthers a D-plus grade. "Then they took players with character risks in the first two rounds, which tends to backfire when you take them that early."

Polian has wondered in the past whether Newton would hold up physically for the long term given his style. That could be tougher if the offensive line drops off. On defense, Ealy possesses some of the traits that made Hardy effective.

"Some things out of their control have really hurt them," Yates said. "The GM gets credit for sticking with the coach when people reported he was moving on. He is also dealing with cap-related problems left over from the previous GM. They did really well to restructure some deals. They negotiated Charles Godfrey down. And I cannot blame them for moving on from some of their receivers. By midseason, we could be saying the receiving core is on par with what they had last year."

While Williamson said he thought the Redskins and Cowboys would have to win shootouts, he sees Carolina having to win ugly.

"You can say the secondary, offensive line and receivers were not great last year and they won the division anyway, but that doesn't mean they should just ignore those positions," Williamson said.

I can't see the full article, that's everything in the Panthers section of the article.

They gave the bucs an A-....

Analysis: Some in the league question whether McCown is a viable starting quarterback. There was much to like about him when McCown finished last season with 13 touchdowns and one interception for Chicago. Still, he could be the fourth-best quarterback in the NFC South this season.

"It was smart not hitching their wagon to a quarterback in the draft this year," Yates said. "But I'll be curious to see how the McCown signing plays out."

Back in March, we gave Tampa Bay an A grade for the signings the team made during the early stages of free agency. At the time, Polian called it possibly the best free-agent signing period since Green Bay signed Reggie White two decades ago. "I picked players for this same defensive scheme for 10 years and everything they did on defense fit perfectly," Polian said.

Riddick applauded Tampa Bay for making moves on offense and in the draft to give McCown weapons fitting the mold of the ones he utilized in Chicago. The team used all six of its draft choices for offense, addressing skill positions with each of its first three selections. But Williamson said the applause should not convert to a standing ovation.

"I'm not as high on their offseason as everyone else seems to be," Williamson said. "I'd give it a B grade. I'm not sold on McCown. I know Verner is a really good player, but I'd still rather have Revis. They are certainly better at receiver, but Evans and Seferian-Jenkins are rookies. The line looks better. They are not a contender all of a sudden."

Polian thinks the entire Panthers' franchise is a character concern for christ's sake. Who gives a damn what this guy thinks. His attitude towards Newton is never going to change because he can't admit being wrong. I hope Ealy and Benjamin continue the trend.